News & Features Archive

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Geno Auriemma and Connecticut are back on top. With freshman Breanna Stewart leading the way, it might be a while before they relinquish that spot. Stewart scored 18 of her 23 points in a dazzling first half and Connecticut won its eighth national championship with a 93-60 rout of Louisville on Tuesday night. It was the most lopsided victory in a title game.
(04/09/2013)

The musicians and management of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra labor dispute have reached a tentative deal. The musicians negotiating committee has agreed to recommend accepting a proposal that cuts salaries and the size of the orchestra but gives them more artistic control.

A screaming baby is badly burned, but the mother doesn't speak English and paramedics cannot communicate with her. But the stressful episode is diffused because of a new device that quickly helps locate a translator.

Minnesota House Democrats are proposing a health and human services budget that spares drastic cuts to poor people, the elderly and people with disabilities. Instead, the proposal would raise about $152 million through additional charges on the state's hospitals and HMOs.

Minnesota lawmakers continue to debate two competing background check bills. If a universal background check law is passed by Congress, what does that mean for the debate over gun control at the state Capitol?

Since the mass killing of 26 students and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. four months ago, opinion polls have shown strong support for gun control measures. This week, the Senate could begin debating expanded background checks for gun buyers although it is still unclear if the legislation will overcome a possible Republican filibuster.

Minnesota lawmakers would get their first pay boosts since the late 1990s under a budget proposal rolled out Tuesday in the Senate that also includes salary increases for the governor and top agency leaders.

More than nine American voters in 10 support universal background checks for gun purchases. In spite of that, President Barack Obama has had trouble gaining support for expanded background checks in Congress.

The way we pay for art, journalism and content in general is changing, and artists like Amanda Palmer and Louis C.K. are at the forefront. How is our relationship with the content we want and the people who make it evolving?

The southeastern Minnesota facilities that produce and process silica sand used in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, were booming a year ago. But now, natural gas prices are down -- and so is the demand for the sand.

Winona County and city officials say they are not seeing the same levels of sand mining they were only a year ago. Piles of sand seen just a year ago in Winona are gone and truck traffic has diminished considerably, a result of a drop in the production of natural gas.

The chairs of the House and Senate Transportation committees are redrafting their budget bills after Governor Dayton repeated his opposition to a gas tax increase. Rep. Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis, says they are reworking the bill after Dayton's comments earlier in the day.

As companies in Wisconsin and Minnesota move ahead with plans to mine frac sand, those drilling for oil and natural gas in other states are asking whether alternatives might someday be cheaper than shipping the sand hundreds of miles.

Proposals to help pay for expanding mass transit in the Twin Cities will be announced by state lawmakers later this week. East metro officials are watching the action very closely and have renewed efforts to advance their wish list of bus and rail lines.

Minnesota produced more than a billion gallons of ethanol last year, making it the fifth-largest ethanol maker in the country. Much of that production was spurred on by a federal requirement known as the Renewable Fuel Standard, which took effect in 2007, but is now coming under new scrutiny in Congress.

It was a tough winter across the state and for many rural Minnesota school districts that has resulted in numerous weather cancellations. While "snow day" may be one of the sweetest phrases any student can hear, they are a major headache for school administrators. Some school officials are worried that this winter's closures could end up hurting student scores on standardized testing this spring.

A storm that toppled trees, caused scattered power outages and whipped up blinding dust storms brought blizzard conditions to parts of Colorado, where up to 20 inches of snow was expected in the mountains through Tuesday.

Richard Pitino is less than half of Tubby Smith's age. That alone has brought a seismic shift for the Minnesota basketball program, with last week's takeover by the 30-year-old Pitino. The energy of youth can always bring positive change, but the impact of Pitino's arrival could prove to run deeper than that.